Environment China

Today, we’re coming back to the topic of China’s power system, the recent power outages in Sichuan, and the role of flexibility. Our guest today is Professor Yuan Jiahai of North China Electric Power University. Professor Yuan a Professor of Management Science at the North China Electric Power University, where his research focuses on the low-carbon transition of China's power sector, with a particular emphasis on coal power. He has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is listed in Scopus 2020 and 2021 Highly Cited Chinese Researchers. Professor Yuan received his PhD in 2006, and since then has been active as an independent Chinese energy policy analyst, publishing not only academic journal articles, but also influential policy reports and media articles on the low-carbon transition. On that note, Prof Yuan has recently published two very interesting items: The first is a report published by NCEPU and NRDC on power system flexibility, and the second is an article in Caixin about the Sichuan

Today, we’re talking about China’s evolving market for green energy and renewable power purchases, with Sharon Feng, at Director of Advisory Services and Research at Azure International. Sharon is an expert in China’s power markets, including renewables, energy storage, power trading, and clean energy procurement. She has worked in previous roles at GE, Siemens, and the philanthropy Save the Children, and holds degrees from Peking University and the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Not least, she has spoken at several Beijing Energy Network events and is based in the lovely Ditan Park of Beijing. In today's podcast we cover: What has changed in China's green power markets in the past few years leading to growing interest in this type of power? How is green power priced, and is it always priced at a premium? What are the volumes like? What provinces are most active, and what is happening on inter-provincial trading of renewables? How the market is likely to develop in the future, including integration

Today, we’re going back to the hot topic of the past two years, namely the energy transition away from coal and how it relates to energy security concerns, especially the recent power outages that have affected parts of the country. Our guest is Xi Xi, an analyst at the innovative Green Development Program, or iGDP, based in Beijing. At iGDP she works on energy modeling with the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), an energy systems model that informs policy makers on decarbonization pathways. She also assists in low carbon development strategy for provincial governments, while also researching energy and electricity investment in Belt and Road Initiative Countries. Previously, Xi Xi was a consultant for the U.S. EPA at Abt Associates, and she also served as an investment analyst at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, where she looked at cleantech startups for investment and grant opportunities. In addition, Xi Xi is executive director of the BJ Energy Network!

Today, we’re going to discuss the huge problem of marine plastics. Millions of tons of pastic waste enter the world’s oceans every year, and according to the UN Environmental Programme, 85% of marine litter is plastic. Plastic in the ocean is everywhere, and it has consequences for all life at sea, and on land ecosystems and climate as well. Our guest is Dr LIU Xiao, the Project Manager at GIZ. She is in charge of the GIZ China implemented Rethinking Plastic-Circular Economy Solutions to Marine Litter. She is a Member of Recycling and Waste Minimization Committee, and she has more than 15 years of experience on municipal solid waste management and sustainable development, especially on policy research and technology consulting. Her work mainly focuses on the integrated waste management and low carbon transition, plastic waste management and pollution control, and sustainable business models in the waste sector. For further reading: https://rethinkingplastics.eu/ About the project (video series): https://www.y

可持续女性系列第二期 - Eco Buyer创始人思晴 实在是听过到太多次"环保和可持续圈还是女生多”（也确实是事实），我们萌生了一个想法：那为什么不干脆做一系列在"可持续议题工作的女性”播客，一起来聊一聊她们独特又好玩的经历和故事，探一探她们所在行业的新鲜事呢？ 第二期播客系列我们邀请到了”一棵Eco Buyer“的联合创始人思晴。Eco buyer是一家关心身体健康、动物福祉和地球环境的纯素、纯净美妆和植物基美食的集合店。店里只提供和推荐不含动物成分、不做动物测试的可持续纯素产品。我们在节目中将探讨： Eco Buyer的成立契机 两位创始人的日常 赛道转型：专攻纯素化妆品和植物基美食 Eco Buyer到底是怎么赚钱的 节目的最后，两位主播和嘉宾将共同探讨作为”可持续资深人士“的糟心瞬间和怨念；以及作为三档不同播客的主理人她们的播客制作经验分享。赶紧收听吧！ You've likely heard there are more and more women in environmental and sustainability circles, which is indeed the case! This is the topic of Environment China's podcast series, Women in Sustainability, where we talk with unique and interesting experiences and stories of women across the sustainability field, and what's new in their industries. For the second podcast in the series, we invited Si Qing, co-founder of Eco Buyer. Eco Buyer is a collection of vegan, pure beauty and plant-based food that cares about health, animal welfare and the planet. The store only offers and recommends sustainable vegan products that are free

In this episode, we discuss the important topic of green finance in China, especially as it relates to China’s investments abroad on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Our guest today is Christoph Nedopil-Wang, Associate Professor and Director of the Green Finance & Development Center, Fudan University, where he works on green finance. Christoph also previous worked in Beijing at the International Institute of Green Finance (IIGF), as well as at GIZ. He also joined us here at Environment China in December 2020 to introduce the traffic light system of evaluating BRI projects. One of the reasons we’re coming together to talk today is the recent publication of an article in the Asia Pacific Policy Studies journal, which Christoph wrote together with Mathias Lund-Larson, Mengdi Yue and Yao Wang. You can find a link to the article in the show notes, but the full title is “Prospects of the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF) to catalyse infrastructure financing.” Other topics we disc

Today, we’re looking at the topic of environmental standards for different industries in China, and in particular talking to Prof. Yixian Sun of the University of Bath in the U.K. about the findings of his new book published by MIT Press: Certifying China: The Rise and Limits of Transnational Sustainability Governance in Emerging Economies The book explores the potential and limits of transnational eco-certification in moving the world's most populous country toward sustainable consumption and production. Dr Sun identifies the forces that drive companies from three sectors—seafood, palm oil, and tea—to embrace eco-certification. The success of eco-certification, Dr Sun writes, will depend on the extent to which it wins the support of domestic actors in fast-growing emerging economies. Yixian Sun is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in International Development at the University of Bath, UK. He has a Ph.D. and Master's degree in International Relations / Political Science, from the Graduate Institute of Interna

Today, we’re looking at the issue of phasing out coal power in China, looking at a report issued recently by scholars at the University of Maryland Center for Global Sustainability and the California-China Climate Initiative at UC Berkeley. Our guest is Dr. Ryna Cui, who is an expert in global coal transition and climate and energy policies in China. Her research focuses on climate change mitigation, and sustainable energy transition, and she is experienced in global and national integrated assessment modeling of China, India and the United States. She is a contributing author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report on the topic of global coal transition. And notably, she joined us on Podcast 84 in November 2019! The report we're discussing today is: "A Decade of Action: A Strategic Approach to Coal Phase-Down for China." It discusses a strategic plan to retire China's old or outdated capacity even as the country builds new coal plants. This is in line with government

In today's Chinese language Environment China podcast episode, we turn to the topic of women working in environmental and sustainability fields. We join two professionals to talk about their unique and interesting experiences and stories, and explore what's new in their particular fields. Today's guests are Si Jialing, who works on green finance at the British Embassy, and Zhang Miao, founder of R Cubic, who is sometimes known as the Walking Wastepedia. In terms of career paths, the two represent the extremes of having entered the field by chance, or having  cultivated a topic on a straight line from academic study to professional career. We ask what challenges they face in their respective fields, and what advice they have for newcomers to the workplace.  实在是听过到太多次"环保和可持续圈还是女生多”（也确实是事实），我们萌生了一个想法：那为什么不干脆做一系列在"可持续议题工作的女性”播客，一起来聊一聊她们独特又好玩的经历和故事，探一探她们所在行业的新鲜事呢？ 于是「环境中国」便有了个这期节目，在这次初尝试中，我们请到了在英国大使馆做绿色金融的佳灵和行走的“垃圾百科”张淼。她们或误打误撞入了圈，或从读书到工作一直在这个领域深耕，都逐渐在可持续议题的工作中找到了自己所关注和热爱的地方。她们在各自领域都有着什么样的挑战？对初入职场的小伙伴又有着什么样的建议呢？

In today's episode of Environment China, we bring you up to date on recent climate and energy developments in China, especially how the renewed quest for energy security affects clean energy and carbon goals. We also address how coal price reforms affect renewables, and the situation of green power trading and corporate renewable energy procurement. We'll also briefly touch on the results of the Two Sessions of the National People's Congress. Today our guests are Liu Yujing, China Power Manager at RMI China, and Caroline Zhu, Senior Low Carbon Electricity Analyst at S&P Global, and a past colleague of Yujing's at RMI.

Today we’re speaking to Andy Klump, the CEO and Founder of Clean Energy Associates, a company that provides services in the field of solar PV and battery storage quality assurance, supply chain management, and engineering. He founded the company in 2008 after working for several years at Trina, in an era before China was even a leader in solar manufacturing. Andy is an expert in world solar supply chains who is frequently quoted in publications such as PV Tech / PV Magazine, as well as in mainstream media.   In today’s episode, we cover: The scale of the largest solar players The upcoming solar and battery technologies and whether China is a tech leader The overall health of the Chinese solar industry The main challenges in the industry right now Whether other countries have the chance to compete with China on solar given its leading position now The relative complexity of he solar supply chain compared to the battery supply chain The extent to which materials supply bottlenecks will continue in both industr

In today's episode of Environment China, host Anders Hove hosts a special, work-related talk with Ye Ruiqi (Angel) of Greenpeace East Asia, Prof Zhang Sufang of North China Electric Power University, and Katerina Simou of the German Energy Agency (dena) about the topic of data centers, which are having an increasing effect on the environment and climate due to their rapidly rising energy consumption. In this episode, we talk not only about how data center operators are trying to go green (a topic we discussed with Angel on Environment China back in November 2019), but also the related topic of flexibility. Data center flexibility is potentially important because it enables data centers to modulate their load to better meet the needs of the grid, which in turn would enable greater uptake of renewable energy such as wind and solar. Since data centers in China are now considered one of the energy-intensive industries subject to the Dual Control policies—which limit energy consumption and energy intensity of prod

Today, for the BEN 2021 Year-in-Review Podcast, the core Beijing Energy Network team discusses the most exciting events and learnings from 2021. The Beijing Gang includes Alice, Cale, Cecilia, Florent, Hailey, Helena, Joyce, Li, Nick, Nina, Richard, Sally, and Xi Xi. In this podcast we discussed: - What brought each of us to the Beijing Energy Network - Our picks for most informative 2021 BEN events - Interesting people we met at BEN - The biggest change BEN brought to our life in 2021  

By popular request, the podcast turns to the topic of electric vehicles and trying to look at this from a market perspective instead of a policy perspective, and really examine how the market works and how it breaks down in terms of EV characteristics and market shares. Today we are speakng to two EV experts: Tu Le of Sino Auto Insights, a mobility consultancy, and of China Evs and More podcast; and James Gao (Gao Tianjian) of Mercedes and the Beijing Energy Network. In this podcast we discuss: Why EV sales in China are surging What types of vehicles are seeing the most growth, and how similar Chinese vehicles are to EVs abroad How the market breaks down in terms of foreign vs domestic How China is able to scale up manufacturing of potentially globally competitive products, and which EVs have the most export potential The situation with battery swap, which is now expanding from NIO and BAIC to new players The charging situation for China's apartment dwellers We end the podcast with a game of buy-sell-or-hol

https://twitter.com/derznovich Access our Live event on the link above!! Just a short teaser to tell you about an experiment we are planning to try on Monday morning BJ time, Sunday night U.S. time. Joyce and I will be hosting a Twitter Live interview with James Gao of BEN and Tu Le of Sino Auto Insights and the China EVs and More podcast. If we manage to figure out the technical stuff, it will start at 8:00 am Monday China time, and that’s 7 pm Eastern, 4 pm Pacific on Sunday. In this upcoming episode, we are going to talk about the China EV market, which is poised to surpass 3 million vehicles this year and 5 million next year. We’re going to talk about China’s EV startups, international brands, and what makes China so disruptive in the EV space. We’ll touch on some issues like range, design, battery size, and charging. We’ll bring it back to the issue of emissions and the environment, and take your questions. If all goes well, we’ll play a game of buy-sell-or-hold with our esteemed guests, and our audience

The food industry has a major ecological and climate impact. A wide variety of efforts are underway to reduce that impact, including regenerative ‘agriculture, development and promotion of new or existing plant-based foods, and organic agriculture. In the EU and UK, for example, 40% of agricultural land use is influenced by the top 10 food brands and supermarkets. While many are currently part of the problem, given their size and influence, they can be, and need to be part of the solution. Our guests today are Jinqi Yu of the Ellen Macarthur Foundation and Yifan Yang of Oatly. Jinqi currently works as consultant for Food Program at the Ellen Macarthur Foundation. She is dedecated to accerlerate the transition towards a circular economy and has been working with the foundation since 2016. Yifan is the sustainability manager at Oatly. She is responsible for the holistic sustainability in the value chain of Oatly. Founded in the 1990s, Oatly is a Swedish food company that produces alternatives to dairy products

Today we are back talking about global climate policy with Li Shuo of Greenpeace East Asia. The COP26 or Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change just wrapped up a bit more than a week ago and we’ve had time to take stock and see some of the media coverage of that, a lot of which was critical. We discuss the shortcomings of other countries' climate commitments, such as on climate finance. We are also digesting the communique issued by China and the US about climate cooperation. In the podcast we referenced the optimistic scenario of Carbon Action Tracker, which projects 1.8 degrees C of climate change if all targets and commitments are fully implemented: https://climateactiontracker.org/global/temperatures/.

Today’s episode is a very special episode for us, as we’re honored to have three founding members of Beijing Energy Network, Brendan Acord, Jason Lee, and Julian Wong, with us to celebrate our approximately 100th episode at Environment China.  The episode has 3 very different parts. These time stamps should help you navigate: In the first segment, starting at 0:03, we discuss how BEN got started, what made it different, and what it was like working on energy and the environment in 2008-09. At 0:22, Joyce and Helena discuss BEN in the past few years and how it has evolved. At 0:26, we look out to the next 13 years of world climate and energy futures, by playing a game of buy-sell-or-hold. Our guests: Brendan Acord came to China after graduating from UCSD, He worked at AES consulting and later BrightSource Energy, and he is currently in Chengdu where he manages a solar PV consultancy which has projects in China and abroad. Julian Wong is a corporate lawyer, currently at QuantumScape, a company in Silicon Vall

This year has been packed with China environmental and climate news, and there’s no way this podcast could keep up. But today we’re going to try! Our guests today are Li Shuo of Greenpeace East Asia and Christoph Nedopil-Wang of Shanghai Fudan University (and Global Bavarian). We’re going to tackle the following hot topics: The biodiversity COP in Kunming The upcoming Glasgow COP The China announcement on finance for coal abroad And upcoming climate finance policies

Today, we have a fascinating discussion about corporate sustainability at one of China's most famous Internet companies. Guan Li, who joins on her own behalf, discusses her work on corporate sustainability in both the US and China and the status of Meituan's efforts on corporate sustainability and waste reduction/recycling. Guan Li works as Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at Meituan Waimai, one of China's largest online food delivery apps. She leads the Meituan Green Tech fund program (greentech.meituan.com). Li has over six years of experience as a corporate sustainability professional. After graduation from Macalester College in St Paul, MN, she worked in sustainability roles at Metro Transit in Minnesota, at Amazon, and at the Chinese food delivery app Ele.me. She has expertise in energy efficiency, carbon emissions calculation, renewable energy, supply chain labor rights, and circular economy. Time stamps: 0:55 - About Guan Li's work at Meituan 2:16 - The two main strategies: waste reduc